Fluid control apparatus for garment finishing machines



Aug. 9, 1960 A N. c. JACKSON FLUID CONTROL.Y APPARATUS FOR GARMENT FINISHING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1958 INVENGR. n /l/o/af? ./dcksof? Ky@ Afro EY.

United States Patent FLUID CONTROL APPARATUS FOR VGARMENT FINISHING MACHINES This invention relates to garment finishers of the kind employing steam and air that permeates the garment through an inflatable bag in the manner disclos'edby my Patent No. 2,805,009, issued September 3, 1957.

In my aforementioned patent there is provided an arrangement of parts permitting steaming of the garment, followed automatically by hot air. In accordance with the principles of the disclosure of my patent, solenoidcontrolled damper means is interposed between the garment and the source of air under pressure and, while all of the advantages of my prior disclosure are incorporated in the instant invention, it is the primary object of the instant discoveries to improve upon the` air-control means so that the damper thereof may be either manually or automatically operated, depending upon the iinishing operation to be performed.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide a novel damper arrangement in a steam-air garment finisher that employs a damper plate within an air-flow throat which is closed and held in a closed position by the force of air emanating from a blower. Another important object of the present invention is to provide air-flow throat of a garment finishing machine that is also operably coupled with a foot treadle in a manner to permit independent use of either means of actuation. A further object of the instant invention is to provide a damper plate that has vane means thereon to initiate closing of the damper plate so that the force of air holds the damper plate closed when the controls therefor are both in a static condition.

Still another object of the present invention is to incorporate in the aforementioned throat a deflector panel for varying the air flow to the garment.

Other objects relate to the provision of a yield'able connection between the solenoid and the damper plate', the Way nwhich a lost motion connection is provided between the treadle and the damper plate; the manner of adjusting the deflector panel; and the manner of exhausting the bag of air or steam. In the drawing: A Fig. l is a fragmentary, side elevational View of a garment nishing machine provided with fluid-control apparatus embodying the teachings of the'instant invention, parts being broken away and in section for clearness.

a solenoid-controlled damper plate for theV inatable bag. 10 is supported by a hollow baseV 12 and receives `air :and steam therefrom to finish a garment when the latter is 'draped over, and attached to, the bag 10. More specifically, the steam emanates from a chest 14 within the base 12, whereas articial currents of air are produced by a blower contained within a housingld,v

A hollow throat 18 places the air outlet of theblowerhousing 16 into communication withthe base 12 and, in its passage from throat 18 to base 12, the air traverses' aV steam heated coil 20. An exhaust blower V21 is prol vided for base 12 between coil 20 and bag 10. Y A damper plate 22within the throat 18, between coil 20 and the outlet of housing 16, spans the distance bef tween the four walls of the throat 18 when plate 22 ,isl closed, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The side walls of thev throat 18 journal a shaft 24 and it is to this shaft 24 that the plate 22 is welded or otherwise rigidly secured for rotation therewith. One section 26 of the plate 22 ex-l tends upwardly rat an angle from the shaft 24, and vthe other section 28 of the plate 22, which is somewhat smaller than section 26, extends downwardly at an angle from the shaft 24 when the damper plate 22 is closed,

Shaft 24 has a pair of radial cranks 30 and 32 mounted thereon eXteriorly of the throat 18, thecrank 32 being rigidly ,coupled with shaft 24. Y

A substantially semi-circular treadle 34 partially surf roundsthe base 12 and is carried thereby for vertical swinging movement through the medium of va pair of diametrically opposed pintles k36 and 38, One end of the' treadle 34 has an integral arm 40 that is pivotally coupled with the crank 30 lthrough a short link 42.

Anoifset 44 in the treadle 34, clears a shaft 46 having a yfoot pedalv 48 and rotatably supported by the base 12'. Manipulation of the pedal 48 controls switch means (not shown) that in turn controlsV the electrical components of the iinisher in a manner such a's disclosed in myl patent aforementioned, or otherwise, one of such components consisting of a solenoid 50 4suitably mounted on the base 12 or throat 18 exteriorly thereof.y

Solenoid 50 has a nonrotatable, reciprocablel core 52 that isfretracted upwardly when the solenoid 50 is enV Fig. 2 is a plan viewf showing only the improvements reference for a full and complete understanding, as' may' be necessary, of the manner of operationand the basic principles of the garment: 'nishing machine chosen' for" illustration in the drawings. Y

In this respect, itmay be simply pointed out that an sh'ft '74'exteriorly of throat 18, is controlled-through i ergized, and an eXtensible member 54 pivotlly intei' connects the core 52 andthe crank 32. Member 54 includes a rod 56 extending into a tube 58 and' slidable' in an opening within one end 60 of tube 58.V

A coil spring 64 in the tube 58 interposed between end 60 `and a head 62 on rod 56,' yieldably holds the member 54 contracted. A yoke 68 on they core 52; embraces the tube 5.8 and couplesA with the latter through the medium ofV a crosspin 66 engageable with head 62.v

A suicient vlooseness of iit for pin 66 is providedV to accommodate for the arcuate travel of crank 32.

The uppermost face of the plate 22, or more particularly, the section 26 thereof, is provided with avane 70l coextensive in length therewith and welded or otherwise"` affixed thereto and/ or to the shaft 24 adjacent the latter;v It is seen that vane 70 is perpendicular to' the face ofF section 26 to Vwhich Vit is attached and, therefore, when the plate 22 is open Within the plane of, or parallel to the path of air emanating from blower housing 16a-and traversingthe throat 18, vane 70 is perpendicularto such path oftravel of the air. t'

A panel 72, also substantially coextensive in lengthY jacent vtheb'ottom thereof l ment to and 'from the upstanding position shown -in Fig. j

1. Panel 72, disposed between the air outlet of' housing 16 andthe section A28" when plate 22' is closed, to a shaft 74 journaled in the side parallelism with shaft 24'. A radial crank 76, rigidA to with the plate 22, is mounted within the Ythroat 18 adfor horizgntl swinging more l walls of throat 18 the medium of a flexible cable 78 and provided with a pull knob 86.

Crank 30 is conlined between a pair of cross-pins 82 and 84 through shaft 24, but is free to rotate relative to the latter to the extent of the limits of diametrically opposed, substantially V-shaped grooves or recesses 86 in crank 30 which receive pin S4. (See Fig. 4.)

In use, during the automatic cycle of operation of the finisher, plate 22 moves to and from the closed position shown in Fig. l in much the same manner as the air flow-control means of my Patent No. 2,805,009 aforementioned. When the solenoid 50 is energized upon proper manipulation of pedal 48, inward retraction of the core 52 exerts a pull on the member 54 to in turn swing crank 30 and, therefore, rotate shaft 24, swinging plate 22 anticlockwise, viewing Fig. l, until the plate 22 is horizontally disposed against stop 88 in parallelism with the path of travel of the air ilowing through throat 18 from the outlet of housing 16 to the hollow base 12. At this time, the vane 70 is vertically disposed; therefore, when solenoid Si) is de-energized to permit core 52 to move outwardly to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the force of air emanating from housing 16 and acting on the upstanding Vane 70 will tend to swing the plate 22 clockwise toward the closed position. Thereupon, the force of air acting on that face of section 26 proximal lto the housing 16, will complete the closing operation Kand Iactually hold the plate 22 in the closed position because of the greater surface area of section 26 over section 28.

The extent to which it of air when plate carried by housing 16 is necessary to control the flow 22 is open, determines the position of the panel 72 and, therefore, the adjustment thereof through use of pull knob 80 and the flexible cable 78 that is operably coupled with the shaft 74 for panel 72.

The :above-described arrangement also makes it possible to 4control the ow of air to the garment independently of the automatic operation described in my patent aforementioned. At any time the operator desires to direct air into the bag Vseparately from the operation of solenoid 50, he need merely depress the treadle 34, causing the same to swing downwardly about the pintles 36 and 38. This raises the arm 40 and swings the crank 30 through the link 42. Here again, the plate 22 swings open in a counterclockwise direction and, as crank 30 swings therewith, core 52 merely moves upwardly into solenoid 50. When the treadle 34 isl released, damper plate 22 will close under iniluence of the air emanating from housingl in the same manner as when solenoid 50 is de-energized.

The yieldable `connection between solenoid core 52 and the damper plate 22, by means of spring 64, permits the use of a full-stroke solenoid, i.e., those, types of electromagnets readily available on the open market which should always be fully energized when placedin operation in order to )avoid burn-out. Hence, it is seen that the structure may be arranged to assure that plate 22 will always be opened fully against the stop 88 whenever solenoid 50 is energized and, at the same time, after plate 22 engages stop 88, solenoid 50 may completely retract its core 52 since core 52 will continue to exert a pull on tube 58 against the action of spring 64.

However, in View of the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, energization of the solenoid 50 to open the plate 22 will have no effect upon the treadle 34 since pin 84 is free to move anticlockwise within the recesses 86 when shaft 24 is caused to rotate by the action of solenoid 50 in a direction to open the plate 22.

Therefore, Vindependently of the automatic cycle of operation of the machine as disclosed in my aforementioned patent, and which cycle includes the the operator may open the plate 22 through use of treadle solenoid 50,

34 at various times during the complete garment treating process as may be desiredor necessary. For example, air may be employed to adjust the bag 10 to iit the garment draped thereon prior to commencement of the treatment of the garment, or, during the automatic cycle of operation when steam alone is being directed to the garment 10, the operator may simultaneously direct air into garment 10 by depressing treadle 34. Still further, at the end of the automatic cycle, additional air may be caused to ilow through the bag It? and, therefore, through the garment.

Oftentimes air and/or steam remain in the bag 10, maintainingthe latter in at least a partially inilated condition after the garment-treating operation has been completed, and making it more di'cult to remove the garment from the bag 10. The exhaust blower 21 may be placed in operation to deflate the bag 10 while the plate 22 is closed.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a garment nisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the ow of air throughthe throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat; a pair of cranks connected to the shaft; a power unit operably coupled with one of said cranks for rotating the shaft to open and close the damper plate; and a manually manipulable device coupled with the other of said cranks for rotating the Shaft, said other crank being swingable on the shaft, there being a lost motion connection between said other crank and the shaft, rendering said power unit operable independently of the device, said connection including parts on the shaft and on said other crank disposed for interengagement upon swinging of the other crank a predetermined amount relative to the shaft.

2. In a garment m'sher, a throat; and structure for controlling the ilow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and disposed for movement to a closed position under inliuence of air pressure in the throat on one side of the damper plate; means operably coupled with said shaft for rotating the latter to open the damper; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; and a vane on said damper plate disposed within the path of said air when the damperrplate is open and disposed to initiate movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under the force of said air pressure.

3. In a garment finisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the flow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position 'Y to the open position;

under iniluence of air of the damper plate;

shaft for rotating the means for limiting the pressure in the throat on one side means operably coupled with said latter to open the damper; stop extent of movement of the damper and air ilow control means within the throat. Y

4. In a garment finisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the ilow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position under inuence of air pressure in the throat on one side ofthe damper plate; means operably coupled with said shaft forV rotating the latter to open the damper; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; air flow control means within the throat; and a vane on said damper plate disposed within the path of said air when the damper plate is open and disposed to initiate movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under the force of said air pressure. 5. In a garment iinisher, a throat; vand structure for controlling the flow ofair through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and having sections extending in opposite directions from the shaft, said damper plate being disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position under influence of air pressure in the throat acting on one face of one of said, sections; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; and a vane on the opposite face of said one section for initiating movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under inuence of the force of said air pressure, the vane being perpendicular to the air flow when the damper plate is open in parallelism with said air flow.

6. In a garment iinisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the ow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and having sections extending in opposite directions from the shaft, said damper plate being disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position under influence of air pressure in the throat acting on one face of one of said sections; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; a vane on the opposite face of said one section for initiating movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under influence of the force of said air pressure, the vane being perpendicular to the air flow when the damper plate is open in parallelism with said air ilow; and air flow control means in the throat.

7. In a garment finisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the flow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and having sections extending in opposite directions from the shaft, said damper plate being disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position under influence of air pressure in the throat acting on one face of one of said sections; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; a vane on the opposite face of said one section for initiating movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under influence of the force of said air pressure, the vane being perpendicular to the air ow when the damper plate is open in parallelism with said air flow; and a panel movable in the throat to and from a position restricting the flow of air through the throat when the plate is open.

8. In a garment finisher, a throat; and structure for controlling the ow of air through the throat comprising a shaft traversing the throat; a pair of cranks connected to the shaft; a damper plate secured to the shaft within the throat, and having sections extending in opposite directions from the shaft, said damper plate being disposed in an unbalanced position on the shaft for movement to a closed position under iniluence of air pressure in the throat acting` on one face of one of said sections; stop means for limiting the extent of movement of the damper to the open position; a vane on the opposite face of said one section for initiating movement of the damper plate toward said closed position under influence of the force of said air pressure, the vane being perpendicular to the air ow when the damper plate is open in parallelism with said air flow; a panel movable in the throat to and from a position restricting the flow of air through the throat when the plate is open; a pair of cranks connected to the shaft; a manually manipulable device operably coupled with one of said cranks for rotating the shaft to open and close the damper plate; a solenoid having a reciprocable core for rotating the shaft; an extensible member including a pair of relatively movable parts interconnecting said core and the other of said cranks, there being a lost motion connection between said one crank and the shaft rendering said solenoid operable independently of the device; and spring means between said parts for permitting the member to be extended under force of said power unit.

9. In a garment finisher, a hollow base; a garmentreceiving bag communicating with the base; a steam chest in said base for directing steam into the bag; a irst blower for directing air into the base for passage into the bag; damper means movable to and from a closed position between sad first blower and the base for blocking the tlow of air into the latter; and a second blower for exhausting the base and the bag of air and steam when the damper means is closed, whereby to deflate the bag and thereby facilitate placement of a garment on the bag and removal of the garment therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,095,263 Moss Oct. 12, 1937 2,211,664 Leibing Aug. 13, 1940 2,533,761 Brenner et al. Dec. 12 1950 2,698,159 Crum Dec. 28, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 563,416 Great Britain Aug. 14, 1944 

